Parallel Nightmare
by FoxKid1302
Summary: What happened during the 30 years that Don disappeared? And what happened after the battle? Sequel to "A twist in time"


Present day...

_My sons! Come to me my sons! You are now needed... More than ever!_ – Splinter desperately clung to the War staff, while calling to his sons.

The images of Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello flashed through his mind. He could feel the energy drained from him as the staff pulled them back to where they should be, to him. The portal ripped the air open as his sons jumped out, baffled at the sight of his struggling with the Ultimate Draco. But something's not right...

- What have you done, rat? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? - The gruesome monster screamed with rage, slamming him to the ground.

- Master Splinter's in trouble! Come on! – Raph shouted to Mikey and took off, his brother right behind him.

The two turtles tackled the fusion of their enemies, freeing Splinter and making him drop both the War staff and the Time Scepter. While keeping distant from Ultimate Draco, Splinter darted his eyes around. Raphael and Michelangelo already got a hold on the Time Scepter, but his other sons, Leonardo and Donatello were nowhere in sight. Was his spiritual power not enough to pull them back? He had to time to question himself as both staves started shining and moving on their own… Draco and the Daimyo's son were separated and turned to ash... Leonardo came back with the joy in his heart... But where was his inquisitive son?

- It's high time I put you back where you belong. – Lord Simultaneous turned to Splinter and his family, after returning to the Daimyo his beloved son.

- Wait! There is still my son, Donatello, missing – Splinter stopped the time lord before he wave his staff – I could not summon him back to us.

The time lord casted a sad glance to his powerful tool, and slowly shook his head:

- That son of yours... He won't be returning with you.

Before anyone could utter another question, they were all transported to their rightful time and place… all excepted for a purple clad turtle. Leo asked incredulously:

- Sensei, what do you mean you can't summon him back to us?

- Yeah, you're the one calling us back, right? – Mikey quipped – So... where's Donnie?

- I am sorry, my sons - Splinter folded his ears close to his head – I was unable to summon Donatello.

- So... does it mean he abandoned us...?

5 years later...

The lair was crumbling, and the only one who still seemed to even care was Mikey. He dug through Don's note to learn about the security system, trying his best to maintain his genius brother's work. When they found out from Renet that no matter how much she or his master tried, the Time Scepter refused to summon their missing brother. And Lord Simultaneous couldn't tell them anything because he's not allowed to directly interfere with time. Screw that, probably an excuse since even he couldn't control that crazy staff perfectly. If Mikey ever saw that jinxed staff again, he's gonna smash it to pieces.

Dropping his hands from the keyboard, the orange clad turtle's shocked at his own thought. He's turning into Raph. Ever since Renet's visit, Raph worked even harder on thrashing the lair and defying Leo and master Splinter's word. The leader almost never bothered to say anything unless Raph really went out of line. And master Splinter... He looked a lot older and a lot weaker after receiving the sad news from the time apprentice. Both Leo and he always blamed themselves over everything, and this time, a dark part inside the joyful turtle agreed with it, for the disappearance of Don... Mikey clutched a hand over his chest, his face contorted in disgust with his own thought...

The alarm blared off made him jumped. Darting his eyes over the monitor, Mikey cursed at the sight of a horde of Foot soldier right outside the lair.

- INTRUDER! – Raph's roar was drowned as the walls crumbled around them, the Foot flooding in like ant.

Mikey and Leo jumped out to assist their hothead brother, drawing the enemies' attention away from where their master laid. The last thing they needed was to lose another family member. But in a matter of minutes, all three were overwhelmed and surrounded. The soldier suddenly formed a space, revealing their master to the shocked turtles:

- Do you actually think that you can hide from me forever? – The Ultrom criminal, in the form of the Shredder arrogantly spoke – New York sewer is big, but not that big. It is only a matter of time before I can have your heads as trophy.

- Ya want it, come and get it yourself! – Raph taunted, before several blade pointed at his neck, silenced him.

- Struggle as much as you want, it will only make my victory much sweeter. Today, your time of foiling my plans ends. Foot soldiers! Attack!

Before the tidal wave of Shredder's minions drowned them, a blur of gray and brown jumped in between, making the soldiers stop in their track.

- I will not lose another son of mine today, Shredder! – Splinter shouted at the top of his lung.

With no further word, the old rat charged for the evil master. None of the Foot could stop him, even though he was no more than a feeble rodent. Something glittering on his belt made Mikey's eyes widened in horror:

- Master Splinter, NO!

Leo and Raph barely registered what their baby brother was talking about, when their father clung to his enemy like glue:

- Leave this place, my sons! You no longer require my protection. Remember, Donatello will come back to you. Until then, LIVE!

Then he detonated the bomb on his belt, plunging everything in a sphere of flame, and then total darkness...

10 years later...

Raph carried a half dead, half alive Mikey along the sewer. The plan to infiltrate the Foot headquarter was an utter failure, and they learnt that at the cost of Mikey's arm. Without the brainiac and his techno magic, there wasn't a single chance they could stand up against their arch enemy. The force of the Foot was spreading like wildfire, and goddamn Fearless just blindly charged in. Leo couldn't form a proper plan without Don's intelligence, and it got even worse when he thought with a fucked-up mind.

Raph gritted his teeth to bite back the scream. The jolting pain in his eye made him just wanted to drop down right there, letting go of everything. He hoped April could have a look at it, after the screaming when she saw them coming out of a blood bath. The woman was nowhere near Don's medical skill, but she's all that they had left now that master Splinter was... was...

The emerald turtle gave the sewer wall a hard punch, hoping that the pain in his knuckles would relieve him from the pain in his heart. This was all Leo's fault. If only he didn't drag Raph away, he could have stopped their father from pulling the trigger. The more he thought about it, the more he hated Fearless, the less he trust Splinter's final words. It's been 10 years already. Wherever Don was, there's no way he didn't know about the plague Shredder was spreading... Unless he's not alive anymore, or he just didn't care… No, it's Don Raph was thinking about. He knew genius, he knew Don would never abandon them... But then, where was he...?

_20 years later..._

Leo wandered around in the dead forest, his mind drifting to old memories. It was a luxury time he allowed himself to think about his brothers, sensei and friends. The Shredder had made his invasion public about 5 years ago, and dead bodies piled up like mountains on his conquering path. Leo had a feeling the Shredder knew about where they buried their father, but he didn't lift a finger about that, knowing that as long as the grave was still there, the humiliation inflicting on the turtles would never fade.

Sliding down under a tree, Leo lift the dark glasses from his face, letting the last rays of sunlight shone on his eyes. The warm light was another luxury he could no longer enjoy. Karai had sealed them forever in the dark in one of their endless encounter. The chuckled bitterly. There's nothing to see anyway. Everywhere he went, scream of pain filled his ear, the smell of blood and rotten flesh filled his nostrils, with bones and skulls rattled under his feet. He didn't need to see, with all the dead around him. He lost all hope the moment Leatherhead and Casey's bodies were hung and burnt in the city square, as an example for the resistance against the Shredder. April was one tough woman to witness her husband turned to ash in front of her. She took his place to lead the rebellion, along with Mikey. Many times the orange turtle came to him and Raph for aid, and as many time he had to decline. Everytime Leo and Raph saw each other, there's no place for word, only roar of rage and fists did the talking. They stopped coming to both the turtles eventually, leaving them in their own abyss...

Leo's hand came into contact with a piece of metal. He picked it up to realize that it was just a rivet. Don used to scold them about touching his stuff, even the tiniest thing such as this... Leo let the object fell from his hand, along with the memory of his brother. Casey rarely agreed with anything sensei told them, but he was as firm as an oak when he told them that he believed in Don's return. What else could keep the leader of the rebellion going for so long? Even until death, his blue eyes still shone with hope, that Don would come back and save all of them. But Leo knew better. He had a long talk with the old rat before Shredder wasted the lair and took him away. Master Splinter had confessed to him that for the first time ever in his life, he had to lie to his sons. The moment he tried to summon his prodigal son, Donatello had tried to resist him, and yet he told them that due to his weakness, he could not summon him as he did to Raph and Mikey. The reason was unknown, but master Splinter had made Leo swore that whatever Don decided to do, he would not hold a grudge against him. Looking back, he found the thought rather... amusing. What could he gain from that grudge? Don made his choice, and Leo should respect that and move on. Dwelling on that wouldn't win this war, wouldn't bring him back anyway...

30 years later...

April's old heart almost burst out from her chest with joy the moment she saw the familiar purple mask. Donatello looked exactly the same with the one in the picture, the one she never parted with. In that picture, the four brothers, with their rat father and sensei, and her husband all beamed with smile. What was the occasion for that picture? It didn't matter, he was here, in the flesh, and he still carried the unyielding spirit that none of his friends and brother still had. With the four united, light started to shine to this hellish planet...

:::

... The old woman dropped her bazooka, her legs giving their best not to collapse. The source of all evil was gone, but all she felt in her heart right now was grieve. What were they fighting for if in the end, the only one she could share it with was herself and a ghost of Donatello from another dimension, or a distant past? April killed as many Foot soldiers as it took, but why when she saw the panic look in Karai's eyes, her hands started trembling?

- My brothers... My poor brothers... This world, this future... is a nightmare... - Don's voice pulled her back to reality.

- I was a nightmare, Don. But you, Leo, Raph and Mikey... you gave us back our future – April's smile seemed restrained, but that was all she could do to comfort the young turtle.

At that moment, a stir made her head turned, and what she saw made her heart skipped a beat.

- Mikey! Can you hear me? April, get the medic kit in the Tunneler!

:::

Something was revived inside Michelangelo, something that died the day he accepted the truth that the team of four was reduced to a trio. Don had made him another synthetic arm, much better than the crap Baxter Stockman made for him some time ago. He found back his joy humming in the make-shift kitchen, or simply cracking a joke to lighten up his broken family. The youthful, free spirit Mikey was still there, just as the Leo that used to train before the sun even rise, or the hothead Raph that was hard on the outside but soft on the inside. Even the news about the Shredder's revival could do little to faze his family. Don's back, what more could he ask for?

- Hey, Mikey! Are ya done with breakfast yet? – Raph called from the next room.

- Keep your shell on! I need to take this to Don first – Mikey snapped back playfully – He's our baby brother now. Gotta keep him in shape.

Raph just grunted in response as Mikey walked pass him, carrying a tray of steaming soup to the genius. The curtain separated Don's new lab and the rest of the house looked as battered as ever, but behind that, the purple clad turtle was fast asleep on his desk… again.

Settling the tray down next to Don, Mikey was about to wake him up when a note drew his attention. Curiosity made Mikey stole a quick look, but he immediately regret after that.

_Day... month... year..._

_The calculation I collected from April of her uncle proved that time and space travel was possible. With the Time Scepter from the Ultimate Draco and my stupid wish to see the future, I was thrown into this waking nightmare. After talking to Leo, confirming again and again, I came to the conclusion that I was the cause of this future. If only I didn't resist and let master Splinter pulled me back, this future wouldn't exist, and none of this would have happened... It was my entire fault..._

Mikey's was shocked to realize that his hands already approach the sleeping turtle's neck. If it wasn't for him, master would not die a cruel death. He would be at least buried in a proper grave. Leo wouldn't have lost his spirit and his vision. Their friend would still be alive to fight against the Shredder. And Mikey... he wouldn't lose an arm for nothing. Don must be really tired to not realize the hands behind his neck. Just a squeeze and the source of his misery would be finished...

- Don, wake up! I brought you some breakfast. – Mikey lightly shook his shoulders.

The young turtle gave out a long yawn. He looked up at his younger, now older brother, to find a pair of sapphire eyes gently looking at him. But those eyes trailed off to his desk, where his note scattered all over... his note... Don snapped awake at he saw what Mikey was staring at. He clamped the piece of paper to his chest, trying to explain but no word came out. Mikey slowly pulled Don to an embrace, patting the rigid genius:

- It's okay Donnie... It's okay. I heard from April. If you disappeared, I might really die.

- But... but... I... If only I... - Don's voice cracked.

- I know, and I don't blame you. You just... didn't know – Even Mikey was surprised as how calm his voice was.

- That makes me feel all the more guilty – The purple clad turtle broke into a sob, hugging his once baby brother.

- It's useless blaming your ignorance. You made your decision, Leo and me and, heck, probably Raph too won't blame you. And you still have the chance to fix it. I expect thirty years of making up, bro – Mikey pulled him away so Don could see him smiling – You can start by eating your breakfast, or I'll take it as an insult at my cooking.


End file.
